Hoy on Hoy – cycling legend Sir Chris to share golden legacy with namesake island

Please note the 'Hoy on Hoy'  event has been postponed to honour the national mourning period following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Further updates will be provided in due course.

The tiny community of Hoy in Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland, is set to enjoy a visit by champion cyclist and Olympian Sir Chris Hoy to share with him the treasures, past and future, of their island and of his glittering sporting legacy.

With a total of seven Olympic medals, six gold and one silver, Hoy is the second most decorated Olympic cyclist of all time.

He will visit the island on 17 September and while there will formally open the newly redeveloped Scapa Flow Museum, which tells the story of the transformation of Hoy from peaceful island community to nerve centre of the Royal Navy during the world wars.

During a private tour of the new Museum for Sir Chris, staff from Orkney Islands Council’s Museums team will refer to the importance of the humble bike to military history and life at the Naval Base on Hoy.

Six pupils from the North Walls Community School will help show Sir Chris and guests around the Museum in their capacity as trained ‘Junior Curators’ - one way the Council’s Museums team has been working to foster a sense of community ownership in their new Museum.

Leader of Orkney Islands Council and also ward member, Councillor James Stockan, said: “I know the local community will be so proud to show Sir Chris the jewels of their island - among them the new Scapa Flow Museum, one of many beating hearts of Hoy and a bridge from a rich past to an equally vibrant future.

“We’re delighted to have Sir Chris Hoy on Hoy, to help us formally mark the Museum’s long-awaited completion and officially open this fantastic facility.”

Focus will then switch to the future and the legacy of Sir Chris Hoy’s success in his sport, with a range of community events aimed at the entire family starting including fun short community cycling circuit with Sir Chris at 1:30pm. Sir Chris will also be presenting Bikeability certificates to pupils from North Walls Community School.

Cycling UK will be on hand in the lead up to the community cycle ride with a selection of bikes to try out, including electric cargo bike,  electric bikes, as well as balance and pedal bikes for children, from 11am onwards. Cycle Orkney will also be available from 11am for anyone who wants a basic service or minor maintenance on their bike. Both of these activities are free of charge and will be located in the Scapa Flow Museum car park.

More details of the community event will be available on the Hoy and Walls Community Page on Facebook over coming days, and shared on the Council’s OIC Updates facebook page and on www.orkney.gov.uk.

News flash - Community events now confirmed include:

• Cycling UK demo bikes and Cycle Orkney Bike surgery from 11am
• Fun Cycle with Sir Chris Hoy at 1:30pm **remember your helmets!**
• Lifeboat Yellow Welly Day
• Lifeboat Guild refreshments
• Craft Club stall
• Lego Club stall
• Hoy Hounds displays at 11.15am and 14.15pm
• Blide Trust
• Peedie Bite food van
• RSPB

Ward Councillor Lindsay Hall added: “We hope through this special visit and community event that people will be inspired by Sir Chris Hoy’s Olympic achievements and legacy to enjoy the cycling delights Hoy and the wider Orkney landscape offers, and the physical and mental benefits being active brings."

Members of the wider Orkney public are warmly invited to attend the community events in Hoy, starting with the Cycling UK demo bikes and Dr D's bike surgery at 11am, ahead of the 1:30pm community cycle circuit with Sir Chris around Lyness.

A special timetable including additional sailings between Lyness and Houton, and connecting public bus services to and from Kirkwall, has been arranged for the day to enable members of the public to attend this memorable event.  To book a sailing, visit the Orkney Ferries website www.orkneyferries.co.uk or contact their Houton office on 01856 811397 or email info@orkneyferries.co.uk

Anyone intending to visit Hoy that day is asked to note that Scapa Flow Museum will be closed to the public on the day of the event until 2pm. The Museum café will be closed the whole day. Public toilets are available nearby/within walking distance of the Museum at the Lyness ferry waiting room.

Changes to Public Bus Service #2: Kirkwall-Houton service

The below is the amended timetable for the Kirkwall-Houton bus service (Service 2) on Saturday 17 September 2022. This amended timetable is for Saturday 17 September only to co-incide with the change in ferry timetables for the 'Hoy on Hoy' community event and visit by Sir Chris Hoy to Lyness, Hoy. To view the amended ferry timetable for Saturday 17 September visit visit the Orkney Ferries website www.orkneyferries.co.uk.

More about Scapa Flow Museum

Scapa Flow Museum is run by Orkney Islands Council and charts Orkney’s military involvement in the First and Second World Wars. Named after the vast natural harbour it overlooks, it provides a safe home for a major collection of wartime artefacts, many of national and international importance.

Its recent refurbishment project valued at of £4.4 million, comprising an extension to the Museum and refurbishment of the historic pumphouse, has been supported by Orkney Islands Council, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland, the Orkney LEADER 2014-2020 programme, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Museums Galleries Scotland and the Scottish Government’s European Regional Development Fund programme, managed by NatureScot through the Natural & Cultural Heritage Fund. (The Natural & Cultural Heritage Fund is part of the Scottish Government’s European Regional Development Fund programme, which finishes in 2023. NatureScot is also managing another element of the programme – the Green Infrastructure Fund. The Scottish Government is the Managing Authority for the European Regional Development Fund and the European Structural Funds 2014-20 Programme. For further information visit the Scottish Government website or follow @scotgovESIF.)

Located on the site of naval base HMS Proserpine in Lyness, Hoy, the facility hosts a vast collection of wartime artefacts, many of national and international significance, on behalf of the community – and to the benefit of wartime and social history enthusiasts around the world.

The £4.4m redevelopment included a faithful restoration and refurbishment of the historic A-listed Pumphouse, built in 1937 and once the lifeblood of the Royal Navy base as a key part of the network of storage tanks and pumps supplying oil to combat vessels anchored in Scapa flow. It’s one of only two known surviving examples in the world of its kind (the other is in Australia) – and you can still witness some of the moving parts in action.

To find out more, visit the Museum's webpage at www.orkney.gov.uk/scapaflow